Josh Miller HEARTS Act

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1380) to establish a grant program for automated external defibrillators in elementary and secondary schools.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I request 5 legislative days during which Members may revise and extend and insert extraneous material on H.R. 1380 into the Record.

I yield myself, Mr. Speaker, such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 1380, the Josh Miller HEARTS Act. This is a bill that my colleague and friend from the neighboring State of Ohio has introduced that will save countless lives at a relatively low cost to taxpayers.

According to the American Heart Association, more than 200,000 Americans die of sudden cardiac arrest each year. Even more disturbing is the fact that 50,000 of these deaths could have been prevented with the use of an automated external defibrillator, or AED.

AEDs are portable devices used to restart the heart after sudden cardiac arrest. Studies have shown that these devices, which are required in Federal buildings and on airplanes, can be safely used by anyone, including children. Defibrillators talk the user through the lifesaving process and do not deliver a shock unless the heartbeat analyzed by the machine is in need of it.

Prompt response to a patient experiencing cardiac arrest is imperative, and waiting for EMS to arrive can be indeed fatal. Utilizing CPR techniques and administering an AED can more than double the victim's chances of surviving. A defibrillator shock is the most effective treatment for sudden cardiac arrest, and heart experts at Johns Hopkins University believe over 500 lives can be saved annually with the widespread placement of AEDs.

The legislation put forward today will go a long way towards saving lives in our Nation's schools. This bill establishes a grant program to place lifesaving defibrillators in every elementary and secondary school that chooses to participate in the program.

Additionally, the law would require recipients of these grants to train school staff in AED and CPR practices, coordinate with local paramedics, and integrate AEDs into existing medical emergency response plans. These provisions will save the lives of students, of teachers, of parents, staff and community members in our American schools. On any given day as much as 20 percent of the community's population passes through its schools, and it is our duty to ensure that these are safe places for our children to learn and for the community members to interact. Since schools are natural meeting places for the public, this bill can save the lives of countless children, teachers, parents and others. Similar legislation passed the House last year; and some States, such as Ohio and New York, are taking a leadership role in making an important difference. As a response to the tragic death of 15-year-old Josh Miller, Ohio instituted a program to place AEDs in schools. Since the inception of the program in 2005, 13 lives have been saved by defibrillators. Similarly, the New York program, in honor of 14-year-old Louis Acompora, has saved 38 lives since 2002.

I want to thank families like those of the Millers and the Acomporas whose hard work has brought national attention to this important issue. They have worked through their grief and, fueled by the tragic loss of a child, have toiled tirelessly to keep other parents from experiencing a similar loss. With passage of this bill, Congress has the opportunity to join these families and prevent future tragedies. Encouraging results and the many lives saved already demonstrates why we must pass this legislation. By putting in place preventative measures like those offered in this bill, we can save more lives.

Mr. Speaker, once again I express my support for H.R. 1380, and I thank Representative Sutton for her dedication to this cause. I urge my colleagues to pass this resolution sponsored by the Member of our House, Representative Sutton.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to recognize the gentlewoman from Ohio (Ms. Sutton) whose thoughtful resolution is before the House for as much time as she may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to recognize the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Yarmuth) for 3 minutes.

Mr. Speaker, to the point of H.R. 1380, we have heard of the wisdom of making available defibrillators throughout the schools of our great country. It's a natural fit because of the clustering that takes place each and every school day where the need may arise. Obviously a preventative sort of plan like this will help with saving lives and certainly will honor the memory of Josh Miller and Louis Acompora in that hopefully they will not have died in vain, that a measure like this can bring us to a sound bit of policy.

For all those reasons, I would strongly urge our House to support H.R. 1380 and commend Representative Sutton for her outstanding leadership on this issue.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

I thank the gentleman from New York for his great leadership on this issue and for all of the work that he does in Education and Labor on many issues that are so important to the people of America.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today as the proud sponsor of H.R. 1380, the Josh Miller Helping Everyone Access Responsiveness Treatment in Schools Act, also known as the Josh Miller HEARTS Act. Sudden cardiac arrest is the leading cause of death in the United States and is the leading cause of death on school property and for student athletes. This bill establishes a grant program to help elementary and secondary schools across the country purchase automated external defibrillators, or AEDs.

I introduced the Josh Miller HEARTS Act in memory of a young man from my hometown of Barberton, Ohio. To know Josh Miller was to know a kindhearted and generous young man with limitless potential. Josh was a Barberton High School sophomore with a 4.0 grade point average, the son of proud parents Ken and Geri Miller. He was a linebacker who dreamed of playing football for Ohio State someday. He was the kind of kid who could walk into a room and light it up. But one day, without warning, his dreams were cut short. Josh never showed any signs of heart trouble; but while playing football for his school in 2000, he collapsed after leaving the field. And by the time his heart was shocked with an automated external defibrillator, it was too late to save him. Josh suffered a sudden cardiac arrest which, according to the American Heart Association, claims the lives of nearly 300,000 Americans every year. Josh's death was devastating not only to his family but to our entire community.

Like Josh, the vast majority of these individuals who suffer sudden cardiac arrest do not display any prior signs of

heart trouble. Yet there is an easy-to-use, relatively inexpensive piece of medical equipment that more than doubles the odds of survival for someone experiencing a sudden cardiac arrest. An AED is the single most effective treatment for starting the heart after a sudden cardiac arrest; and because the chances of survival decrease by up to 10 percent for every minute that passes, every second is critical.

In March, I reintroduced the Josh Miller HEARTS Act to increase the availability of AEDs in our communities. Because schools are central gathering places in our communities, placing AEDs in our schools will save the lives of students enrolled there; but they will also be available for teachers and staff, parents and volunteers, and the many other members of the community who pass through their halls every single day.

This legislation is modeled on a similar program for the State of Ohio. Dr. Terry Gordon, a cardiologist at Akron General Medical Center, has dedicated his life to this lifesaving mission. His tireless efforts in Ohio led to the adoption of a statewide initiative to put an AED into every school in our State. I hope that we in Congress can build on Dr. Gordon's good work and carry out this program at the national level.

This bill is endorsed by the American Red Cross, the American Heart Association, the Heart Rhythm Society, the Sudden Cardiac Arrest Association, the International Association of Firefighters, the American College of Cardiology, the National Education Association, the Parent Heart Watch, the American Federation of Teachers and the National Safety Council. I want to thank these organizations for their support on this issue, and I look forward to working with them to continue to raise awareness on AEDs.

Losing a young life like Josh's can bring a sense of helplessness. In just the last year in the short time from August 2008 to December 2008, 63 children lost their lives to sudden cardiac arrest. But today we have an opportunity to act. This bill passed the House in the last Congress, but it did not emerge from the Senate. This time I am pleased to report that Ohio Senator George Voinovich will be leading the charge in the Senate and that Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown will be working alongside him to make sure that it gets done.

It is appropriate that this bill comes to the floor this week. This week is National CPR and AED Awareness Week, and this week serves to raise awareness of the importance of CPR training and AED accessibility. In fact, the American Heart Association has embarked on a campaign to train 1 million people in CPR and the use of AEDs this week. I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this effort to bring AEDs into every single school across this country. I thank the gentleman from across the aisle for his support of this measure. AEDs in schools will save lives. I want to thank the Miller family and the Acompora family and others who have turned their personal tragedies into a lifesaving mission.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to share the story of a boy from my hometown of Barberton, Ohio. To know Josh Miller was to know a kind-hearted and generous young man with limitless potential. Josh was a Barberton High School sophomore with a 4.0 grade point average. He was a linebacker who dreamed of playing football for Ohio State. He was the kind of a kid who could walk into a room and light it up.

But one day, without warning, his dreams were cut short. Josh never showed any signs of heart trouble. But right after the final game of the 2000 football season, he collapsed after leaving the field. By the time his heart was shocked with an automated external defibrillator, it was too late to save him. Josh suffered a sudden cardiac arrest which, according to the American Heart Association, claims the lives of 330,000 Americans every year.

Like Josh, the vast majority of these individuals do not display any prior signs of heart trouble. Yet there is an easy-to-use, relatively inexpensive piece of medical equipment that more than doubles the odds of survival for someone experiencing a sudden cardiac arrest. An automated external defibrillator, or AED, is the single most effective treatment for starting the heart after a sudden cardiac arrest. And because the chances of survival decrease by up to 10 percent for every minute that passes, every second is critical.

Last week, I reintroduced the Josh Miller HEARTS Act to increase the availability of AEDs in our communities. This bill, H.R. 1380, will establish a grant program to help schools across the country purchase these lifesaving devices.

Schools are central gathering places in our communities. Placing AEDs in our schools will not only save the lives of the students enrolled there, but they will be available for teachers and staff, parents and volunteers and the many other members of the community who pass through their halls every single day.

This legislation is modeled on a similar program for the State of Ohio. Dr. Terry Gordon, a cardiologist at Akron General Hospital, has dedicated his life to this campaign. His tireless efforts in Ohio led to the adoption of a statewide initiative to put an AED into every school in our State.

I hope we in Congress can build on Dr. Gordon's good work and carry out this program at the national level. Last year, this bill had 100 cosponsors and passed the House unanimously. To all of my colleagues who cosponsored and supported this legislation, thank you, and I urge you to cosponsor H.R. 1380. And to all of my colleagues who

did not cosponsor the bill, I ask for your support in this Congress.

This bill is endorsed by the Red Cross, the American Heart Association, the Heart Rhythm Society, the Sudden Cardiac Arrest Association, the International Association of Firefighters, the American College of Cardiology, the National Education Association, Parent Heart Watch, American Federation of Teachers and the National Safety Council. I thank these organizations for their support on this issue, and I look forward to working with them on AED awareness.

Losing a young life like Josh's can bring about a sense of helplessness. But today we have an opportunity to act. I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this effort to bring AEDs into every single school across this country because AEDs in schools will save lives.

I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of the Josh Miller HEARTS Act so that we may take another step to ensure that all the resources necessary to keep our children safe in their schools are readily available.

More than 200,000 Americans die of sudden cardiac arrest each year. Of these, more than 50,000 lives could be saved if automated external defibrillators were easily accessible. The AED is a portable device that can restart the heart after cardiac arrest, and can be safely used by anyone, including children, as the device actually talks users through the lifesaving process and automatically analyzes whether a potentially lifesaving shock is needed. Making defibrillators available in our schools will save lives, and the Josh Miller HEARTS Act will go a long way toward increasing the availability of these emergency lifesaving devices.

As we recognize National CPR and AED Awareness Week, this legislation is particularly timely. The bill will require recipients of these grants to train school staff in AED and CPR practices, coordinate with local paramedics and integrate AEDs into existing medical emergency response plans. These provisions will save the lives of students, teachers, parents, staff and community members in U.S. schools.

As we have heard, the act bears the name of Josh Miller, 15-year-old from Barberton, Ohio. I had the privilege of meeting with Josh's family, and I was so taken with how they have used his loss to mount a national effort to prevent additional losses like their tragic one. Last fall in my district, a young football player also died on a practice field. I don't know that the existence of an AED might have saved his life, but I do know that we owe our young people every possible resource, including AEDs, to make sure that these tragedies do not recur.

I want to congratulate Congresswoman Sutton for her leadership in this effort. She has been tireless and passionate about making sure that our kids are protected. I also want to thank Dr. Terry Gordon who is now Congresswoman Sutton's constituent but is a long-time friend and a native of Louisville, Kentucky. He has also been tireless and passionate in this effort.

With that, I urge my colleagues to support the Josh Miller HEARTS Act and take one more step forward to protecting our young Americans.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

I rise in support of H.R. 1380, the Josh Miller Helping Everyone Access Responsiveness Treatment in Schools Act of 2009, also referred to as the Josh Miller HEARTS Act. This legislation would authorize the United States Secretary of Education to make grants to public and private elementary and secondary schools to purchase automated external defibrillators, also known as AEDs, for school grounds and to train employees and volunteers on how to use these devices which have saved thousands of lives all over the United States.

An AED is a portable, computerized medical device that can check a person's heart rhythm to determine whether he or she is in cardiac arrest. It can recognize a rhythm that requires an electronic shock and can advise a rescuer when a shock is needed. The AED uses voice prompts, lights and text messages to tell the rescuer the precise steps he or she needs to take to operate the device. It is an extremely accurate and easy device to use. As such, the device is widely credited for saving hundreds of lives each year.

This bill requires local education agencies that receive a grant under the program to provide at least a 25 percent match from non- Federal sources. It also ensures that local paramedics and other emergency services personnel are notified regarding where the actual AED is located on the school grounds in case they ever have to respond to a situation on the campus. H.R. 1380 is an important piece of legislation that will help save lives all across the country. I urge my colleagues to support the bill.

I have no requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.